Uncontrolled resource consumption in polkitd
Priority LOW 25CWE-400Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-400.
Summary
There is a flaw in polkit which can allow an unprivileged user to cause polkit to crash, due to process file descriptor exhaustion. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to availability. NOTE: Polkit process outage duration is tied to the failing process being reaped and a new one being spawned
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.00525 44th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by NVD
Fix Fixed Red Hat: 1 advisory
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | polkitd | 0.117 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- polkitd Vendor— Affected 0.117 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 8
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:polkit_project:polkit:0.117:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.117 | Vulnerable | Polkit Project |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 34 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:35:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 35 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 20.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:21.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 21.10 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:a:oracle:zfs_storage_appliance_kit:8.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.8 | Vulnerable | Oracle |
- cpe:2.3:a:polkit_project:polkit:0.117:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.117 Vulnerable ·Polkit Project
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 34 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:35:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 35 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 20.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:21.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 21.10 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:a:oracle:zfs_storage_appliance_kit:8.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.8 Vulnerable ·Oracle
Remediation
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2022:1546 Released 2022-04-26 · Red Hat rating Moderatepolkit security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) polkit-0.115-13.el8_5.2, polkit-devel-0.115-13.el8_5.2, polkit-docs-0.115-13.el8_5.2 +1
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2022:1546 |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2021-4115
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-vvr6-r92h-x7jw
References
Patch 2
Sources
- CVE-2021-4115 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-4115 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-vvr6-r92h-x7jw · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2021-4115 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences